Lilla Teatern’s new play explores the search for one’s place between two cultures

Lilla Teatern’s new play explores the search for belonging between two cultures

When Baba (Elihú Galván) loses his job, he secretly begins working as a mascot at various events. One evening, a lavish party ends in disaster when Baba, dressed in a rabbit costume, sinks into a swimming pool. In the aftermath, his daughter (Antonia Atarah) begins searching for answers to how her father ended up in a situation where everything fell apart. He had spent years working to find his place in the new country.

The play explores what it feels like to bear responsibility for your parents in a new homeland. It examines the experience of having roots somewhere entirely different from the reality in which you live, while also offering a moving portrayal of a father–daughter relationship.

“This is an incredibly powerful play that tackles topical themes such as class and shame in a fresh and compelling way. At the same time, it manages to be both deeply moving and entertaining,” says director Hallveig Eiríksdóttir, who leads a multicultural creative team in this production.

“I recognise much of my own background in the play. It brings to the stage a perspective we rarely see. I know it can resonate with many others who feel excluded, less worthy or unable to make their voices heard,” says actor Antonia Atarah, who has Ghanaian roots and made her breakthrough in Ronja Ryövärintyttäressä at Svenska Teatern in 2023.

När Baba faller i poolen är klockan 23.47 received recognition from Spain’s National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (INAEM) in 2021 for its innovative theatrical language. The play’s language and rhythm draw on influences from different countries, cultures and ways of speaking. For Lilla Teatern’s production, the play has been adapted for Finland and features Somali, Spanish, English, Finnish, Arabic and Frafra, the language Atarah speaks with her father.

Baba is played by Elihú Galván, who moved from Mexico to Finland 22 years ago and has worked as an actor, theatre director and drama teacher, among other roles.

“My family jokes that I have always been a terrible actor and that my greatest achievement ultimately amounts to a supporting role in a monologue. I travelled all the way to Finland with dreams of great success, but now I’m performing in a rabbit costume. That makes Baba a character I find funny, sad and incredibly relatable all at once,” says Elihú Galván.

Swedish-Spanish playwright Astrid Menasanch Tobieson will travel to Helsinki to celebrate the premiere on 29 October. Menasanch Tobieson writes and directs socially engaged theatre distinguished by its philosophical and poetic approach. Humour and power relations emerge through the linguistic choices in her writing.

The performance is in Swedish. Subtitles in Finnish, Swedish and English are available via the Subtitle Mobile app.

On stage: Antonia Atarah and Elihú Galván. Playwright: Astrid Menasanch Tobieson. Directed by Hallveig Eiríksdóttir. Adapted for Finland by Kasimir Koski. Set and costume design by Riku Suvitie. Lighting and video design by Ville Tolvanen, sound design by Moe Mustafa. Make-up design by Jutta Kainulainen.

När Baba faller i poolen är kl. 23.47, premieres 29.10.2026 at Lilla Teatern, Yrjönkatu 30, Helsinki.

The play marks the beginning of a three-year collaboration between Helsinki City Theatre, Wasa Teater and Åbo Svenska Teater. Each theatre will take turns producing a performance that will later also be staged in the other cities. The performance run of När Baba faller i poolen är klockan 23.47 at Wasa Teater is 13.1.-2.2.2027 and at Åbo Svenska Teater 11.2.-20.3.2027.

Read more about the play and the playwright on the website of Theatre Info Finland TINFO.

Ticket prices at Helsinki City Theatre: standard ticket 43 €, student ticket 21,50 € (Mon–Thu), senior ticket 40 € (Mon–Thu).

#närbabafalleripoolenärkl2347 @lilla.teatern @hktfi @abosvenskateater @wasateater

Helsinki City Theatre’s ticket sales and customer service are available by phone at (09) 3940 22, Mon–Fri 10–17. The box office at Ensi linja 2 is open Mon–Fri 12–17. The box office at Eläintarhantie 5 and the box offices at the other venues open one hour before the performance at the venue in question. Tickets are also available from lippu.fi, Mon–Sat 9–19, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min+local network charge) www.hkt.fi

Press release photo: Antonia Atarah and Elihú Galván. Photo: Heli Blåfield

Further information, press ticket reservations and interview requests:
Communications Planner Ida Virkkunen, ida.virkkunen@lillateatern.fi, 050 357 4250.
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki